His spit take: Rosario says it’s tough to break habit
At least one Mets player is finding it difficult to hold back from an unintentional, and admittedly gross, habit.
As part of Major League Baseball’s new regulations to help mitigate the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19, players have been asked to refrain from spitting, chewing tobacco or sunflower seeds during their time at ballparks and facilities.
Amed Rosario, for the first time in his professional baseball career, is actively thinking about keeping his saliva where it belongs.
“It’s been pretty uncomfortable in the sense of just being so distant from the players, and not being able to spit is something that I’d been used to for my whole career and now that we can’t do it, it’s been uncomfortable,” Rosario said through an interpreter.
But, besides that icky baseball tendency, Rosario is just trying to have fun this year. The
shortstop is set to enter his fourth season with the Mets and he’s hoping to pick up where he left off in 2019.
Rosario slashed .319/.351/ .453 with an .804 OPS and just 45 strikeouts over 70 games in the second half of last season. It was a drastic difference from his 79 strikeouts and .260/ .299/.414 slashline across 87 games in the first half.
“I’m just going out there this season to have fun,” Rosario said. “I’m not putting any pressure on myself. I feel like sometimes when you put pressure on yourself, especially playing baseball, it becomes a little bit problematic. Once you start taking this as a real job, that’s when things can start to go wrong. I’m just going out there to have fun and play my game.”
The 24-year-old arrived at camp on Sunday, missing the first two days of the Mets’ fullsquad workouts. Rosario said that was when the Mets told him to get to Citi Field, and he didn’t ask why. Even though Rosario has only been at camp for four days, manager Luis Rojas is impressed with what he’s seen from the shortstop — both on and off the field.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete. He’s jumping around everywhere, dancing, yelling to the other players too,” Rojas said. “He brings great energy to the rest of the guys.”
WHO’S ON FIRST? CES!
Yoenis Cespedes turned heads when he took reps at first base during Wednesday’s early morning workout. The Cuban slugger has moved around the field during summer training, something Cespedes was not yet ready to do back in March, when he couldn’t even run the bases at full speed. Turns out,
Cespedes was at first because he was trying out a new glove that Pete Alonso gave him.
“He’s taking his ground balls. He wants to be involved,” Rojas said. “He was done with his throwing from the outfield, so I was supposed to catch those throws from the guys at shortstop, but he stepped up, caught his throws and then took grounders. He wants to be there on the field and do different things. He wants to show you he’s really good everywhere and definitely has fun there.”
It’s encouraging that Cespedes has taken reps in left field and first base within the first six days of team workouts. But, the Mets would be happy if he could handle the bare minimum in the designated hitter role — something Rojas said would be a “luxury.” What the Mets really need is his potent bat in the lineup every day.
EXCITED FOR SUBWAY SERIES EXHIBITIONS
The Mets and Yankees will play a pair of home-and-home exhibition games on July 18 and 19 in preparation for the regular season at the end of this month.
Rojas is looking forward to the fresh blood and muchneeded competition.
“Can’t wait to see another team,” Rojas said. “I’m just excited, really excited, for us to face another uni, especially a team that we’re going to be seeing in the regular season.”
BRACH NOT IN CAMP
Right-handed reliever Brad Brach has not yet been at Mets camp, Rojas confirmed on Wednesday. Brach and new Met Jared Hughes are two notable players who have yet to arrive at summer training. The Mets are not discussing the reasons behind their absences, with respect to HIPAA federal laws and the privacy of the players.
“I hope you understand that we’re not going to talk about the guys that are not in camp,” Rojas said.